Mages
by HarryStarkINC
Summary: Two powerful wizards are also two powerful mutants. They live in a time of pain and suffering. They seek to change that.
1. Shadow and Crimson

**I don't own any characters in this story, Marvel or Harry Potter related. I am just twisting their stories together for the amusement of others.**

**Arizona, outside of Scottsdale**

**2230 hours**

Two figures crept to a ledge overlooking a remote warehouse surrounded by armed guards.

"I see at least 15 guards," said the man known as Crimson Mage. "Lucky for us, no dogs."

The other man, known as Shadow Mage, closed his eyes and began using his mutant ability to see through shadows.

"This is not going to be easy. There are 25 more inside the building. Most of them heavily armed."

"I guess they are worried we might destroy this shipment too," said Crimson with a grin. The two had been hired by the DEA to track and destroy shipments of drugs coming from the Cortez Cartel. The two of them had destroyed five shipments in the past month. This was to be the largest shipment. It was also going to be the last shipment in the states for a while. To make things even more perfect, Jorge Cortez, the head of the cartel, was overseeing the shipment personally.

"How do we want to do this," asked Shadow, opening his eyes. He had the mutant ability to not only see through any shadow, anywhere, at any time, but he also was able to travel in the shadows, taking him anywhere completely undetected.

"Part of me is thinking we really should call for back up. Most people would call us crazy for attempting to take down that many people with guns."

"People already call us crazy," said Shadow. "That's why they hire us."

"Good point. Do we want to be subtle or do you want me to cause a really big distraction?"

The two worked out a plan of attack. They both knew that their plans only worked so long before everything became chaotic and the two of them were making things up as they went along. As soon as they had come up with a decent plan, Shadow disappeared into the shadows. Crimson's eyes began to glow his trademark crimson red. His mutation allowed him to absorb and rechannel all kinds of energy in the form of powerful blasts, flight, and accelerated healing. Lucky for Crimson, he had access to a never ending supply of energy. He and Shadow were not only mutants. They were also wizards, capable of performing incredibly powerful magic. Magic was the energy that powered Crimson most of the time. Crimson flew down to a clearing just outside the fence line. As he came down, his body began to glow. It was the one part of his mutation that he could not get control over. Whenever he used his powers, his entire body would glow a deep crimson color. That made stealth missions impossible. It was perfect for drawing attention of idiot criminals.

"They are here," yelled one of the guards who saw Crimson land. "Lock down the warehouse!"

The fifteen guards on the outside were quickly joined by another ten. They began walking towards Crimson. He just sat waiting for a signal from Shadow.

As soon as the ten men left the inside of the warehouse, Shadow made his way in, concealing himself in the shadows. With how he moved in and out of the shadows, many people thought he was a teleporter. The reality was he moved through what he called the Shadow Realm. It was a realm of pure darkness. It was void of anything. He saw Jorge Cortez surrounded by four armed men. He moved to the ceiling on the warehouse, resting in the rafters. He pulled out a dull butter knife. He saw a crate filled with explosive chemicals.

"Perfect," though Shadow. The knife began to glow red hot. He and Crimson had trained for years on how to charge inanimate mundane objects with magical spells. The spell charged into the knife was a simple exploding spell known as Bombardo. Shadow threw the knife, hitting the crate. The ensuing explosion sent Cortez and his men running. It was also the signal Crimson had been waiting for.

Crimson shot up into the air at the sound of the explosion. All the men outside began opening fire on him. Many of the shot missed. Some hit him, but his body healed instantly. He just laughed. He sent powerful energy blasts at the ground, causing his attackers to go flying in the air. He quickly began rounding them all up, tying them together. He then went into the warehouse where Shadow was in a fight with Jorge Cortez and his men. As soon as Shadow saw Crimson, he vanished into the shadows.

"Come back you coward," yelled Cortez. "Face me like a man!"

"Well why don't we even the odds," said Crimson from behind them. Shadow appeared next to him.

"I will kill you and everyone you love!"

Shadow and Crimson just looked at each other. This guy was not very bright. Both men were wearing tactical boots, pants and shirts. Crimson had a trench coat with a hood that hid his face. Shadow had a ninja mask concealing his face.

"If you can figure out who we are, then by all means, go after the people we love. It is going to be hard for you to do that while rotting away in prison," said Crimson.

The four men guarding Cortez rushed the two mutant heroes. They were quickly subdued, leaving only Cortez. The drug lord tried to run away, but was caught by Shadow. Cortez was dragged into the Shadow Realm.

"This is where you should stay," said Shadow coldly. "I should just tell the authorities that you escaped during the fight."

Cortez was freaking out. In the Shadow Realm, everyone but Shadow was blind. Their senses played tricks on them.

Shadow grabbed Cortez and pulled him back into the real world.

"Wow," said Crimson looking at Cortez, who was shaking like a Chihuahua. "You made him piss himself."

"And shit himself," said Shadow. "Call the DEA while I tie him up. And then let's get out of here."

Shadow and Crimson returned to their hotel, getting a quick shower and then grabbing a late dinner at the restaurant in their hotel.

"Ah. Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom.," said the waiter as he walked up to the table. "Late night at work?"

"The last time for a while I hope," said Harry Potter, also known as Crimson Mage.

"We can only hope," said Neville Longbottom, also known as Shadow Mage.

The two placed their order and then called into the man who had raised them since they were babies.

"Hey Sirius. Just checking in," said Neville. "Yeah. Everything went smoothly. No, we were never in any real danger. You trained us to be the best at what we do. And anything you didn't teach us, Danny did."

Neville listened to Sirius Black remind him of how he and Harry were still only 17 years old.

"Sirius, we may only be 17, but we are much more mature than anyone even close to our age. We also have multiple degrees in various disciplines. How many people do you know can actually outsmart Tony Stark. Yes, I know it only happened once, but it did happen. And even though we see him at least once a week, he still has no idea that we are who we are."

Harry just listened and smiled. He and Neville always switched off who had to call Sirius. It was the same conversation every time. Sirius was not a big fan of the two teens running around as superheroes, but he knew they would do it even if he forbid it. At least this way, the two were honest about what they were doing.

"Alright Sirius. We will be back tomorrow," said Neville. "Tell Kristin we will be careful and not to worry. Ok, goodbye."

Neville hung up the phone and shook his head.

"You would think he would stop worrying so much," said Neville.

"The man raised us as his own sons. He took us in after our parents were killed. If I were him, I would be just as worried," said Harry. "But then again, we are two of the most popular heroes at the moment. The Mages."

"We are getting crap for charging the government for certain jobs."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Everyone compares us to the Avengers. The Avengers do not charge people to save the world. We don't either. We charge government agencies to do things like take down drug cartels. We don't charge for our random acts of heroism. We didn't charge anyone when we stopped Rhino last month when he was robbing banks."

"I know. You don't have to sell it to me. And we have only charged them three times. All three times were because the government tried to get the Avengers to help them and the Avengers told them no. That was not what they responded to. We pick up what the Avengers leave and in turn make some extra money."

Harry's phone rang as he and Neville paid their bill.

"It's Danny," said Harry looking at the caller ID. "What's up Danny?"

Neville watched as Harry's face became very serious.

"We're on our way."

"Where are we going," Neville asked.

"Remember how we agreed to stay out of politics?"

"Yeah."

"Looks like we can't do that anymore. It seems like the Avengers and the X-Men are at war with each other, and it all has to do with Hope."

Hope was Hope Summers, the mutant messiah. She was also Harry's girlfriend.

"Why didn't she call you if she was in trouble?"

"Because she knew that I swore never to get involved in any political bickering between heroes. She knew that I would break that rule for her."

"So where are we going?"

**Kun Lun**

Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist, looked over his friends, fellow Avengers, who had been wounded in a battle against the five X-Men that held the power of the Phoenix Force. It was down to four since the fall of Namor, King of Atlantis. Colossus, his sister Magik, Emma Frost, and Scott Summers were all under the influence of the Phoenix, and not the good side. They were all becoming darker.

"Hope, I understand your frustration, but for now, you must train," Iron Fist told Hope.

"This is all because of me. Others are hurting because of me," said Hope, tears in her eyes.

"No. People are hurting because Scott Summers and the others refused to listen and have been corrupted. This is not your fault," said Captain America. "Danny, we have the location of Thor and the others. We are going to get them out."

"I'm coming too," said Hope.

"No. You must stay here. We cannot take the risk that it is a trap to grab you," said Cap. "I know it seems like I am trying to control your life, but what I am doing is trying to keep you safe until we can figure out how to protect you and save the rest of the world. Stay with Danny. Train. In the end, the training will pay off."

Cap left and Danny left, leaving Hope to train.

It was a few hours later when the Avengers returned. Hope assisted getting people to the medical room. She noticed the one hero she could enjoy conversations with was missing.

"Where's Spiderman?"

Cap and a few others returned to where they had come from to retrieve the wise cracking Spiderman.

Hope and Danny began talking when the fight appeared in Kun Lun.

"HOPE!"

It was the leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops.

"When I make my move, run," Iron Fist instructed Hope. "Find Lei Kung."

Iron Man emerged from his seclusion, taking the overly powerful Cyclops by surprise. It did not stop the man who believed himself to be a god. No one was able to stop him. As Cyclops rose into the air, he was blasted out of the sky by something no one could have seen coming. Hope and the thunderer Lei Kung on the back of a dragon. The blast had hurt Cyclops, but it did not stop him. Cyclops let out a blast from his visor, knocking the three out of the sky. Cyclops went in for a killing blow when Hope fired a blast similar to that of the dragon's out of her mouth.

Hope's mutation was the ability to mimic the abilities of any mutants in her vicinity. Never had she mimicked the ability of anything non-mutant. She ran in fear. She was not sure if she was losing control of her abilities. She ran into Iron Man, the x-man and Avenger Beast, and the woman who was an outcast to both groups, Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

Cyclops caught up to Hope and was angered at the sight of Wanda. Her chaos magic was the only thing, besides the energy from the dragon, that had caused any pain or damage to the bearers of the Phoenix Force.

"Hope, it is time to come home!"

Cyclops fired a blast at the group. Just before the blast hit them, a body jumped in front, taking the blast for them. Hope's eyes widened when she saw who had jumped in front of them.

"Damn that hurt," yelled Crimson. "Now it is my turn!"

Crimson unleashed a barrage of blasts at Cyclops. None of them doing any damage.

"You fool. Nothing can stop me!"

Shadow appeared and kicked Cyclops in the face with a kick charged with magic. The kick sent the would be god crashing to the ground.

Crimson stood charged his fists and sent magical spells at Cyclops. The spells were causing damage, but were not stopping him.

"STOP THIS!"

Everyone looked as Hope yelled. Cyclops was in shock as he fell from the sky. He did not have time to react as Hope, who seemed to have the power of the Iron Fist and Wanda's Chaos Magic combined in her fist, hit him in the chest, sending him flying off the planet.

Everyone just starred at Hope.

"Don't ask me how I did that because I have no idea," said Hope. She then looked at Crimson and Shadow. "What are you two doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"I called them," said Iron Fist.

"You know who they are," said Iron Man. "People have been trying to figure that out for a few years now."

"You know who we are," said Shadow.

Tony Stark removed his helmet, trying to get a better look at the two.

Crimson removed his hood while Shadow removed his mask. Tony looked in disbelief. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"I take it you know them," said Wanda.

"We've known Tony since we were five," said Crimson.

"We've worked with him. He and our guardian work together all the time," said Shadow.

"And how do you know Hope," asked Beast.

"Because I am dating one of them," said Hope as she ran to Crimson.

Everyone was stunned. Cap and the rest of the Avengers returned to see the city had taken heavy damage. They were very confused at the two new people. They were even more confused at Hope kissing one of them.

"What happened?"

"The turning point in this war," said Tony. "Hope just sent Scott somewhere, and we have two more weapons. They were able to inflict damage on Cyclops when no one else could. Then Hope did something incredible. I think I know what she did and how she did it too."

"Who are they," asked Wolverine.

The two put their hood and mask on, letting people see the two they knew.

"The Mages," said Cap.

"Crimson and Shadow," said Hope.

"Also known as Harry Potter," said Harry taking down his hood.

"And Neville Longbottom," said Neville removing his mask.

"What made them special that they were able to hurt Summers?"

"Magic," said Hope.

**So this is a story that I have had in my head for a while now. It starts during the Avengers Vs. X-Men story. I know there is a lot that needs to be explained, and it will be over time. Please give a review and tell me what characters from the marvel world you would like to see. Other characters from the HP world will come in later chapters. First we have to get through this war.**


	2. Things seem pretty bad

"I don't understand," said Dr. Strange. "I can do magic and I had little to no effect on them."

"I guess it all depends on the type of magic," said Tony. "Wanda has her magic that is caused by her mutation. We all know that her chaos magic is very different from your type of magic. I believe the boys magic is more similar to yours, but still very different. What I want to know is how the two of you were able to hide this from me. And how long have you known Danny?"

"And when did you start dating Hope," asked Wolverine.

"This is going to be a long story," said Neville. "Why don't we go inside. It looks like some of your people need medical attention and we wouldn't mind changing into something more comfortable."

After all who needed medical attention received it, all the temporary residents of Kun Lun gathered to hear the tale of The Mages.

"So where should we start," asked Harry, his arms wrapped around Hope.

"The beginning is always a good place," said Iron Fist.

"Ok then," said Neville, getting comfortable. "I guess Harry can tell the beginning."

"Thanks. I get the grim part. Well, this all started when we were both still babies living with our parents in England. We were both born to very powerful witches and wizards. We were also born is a time of great darkness. At the time, a dark wizard that went by the name Lord Voldemort terrorized the wizarding world. Shortly after we turned one, a prophecy was made about Voldemort and the one who would be his downfall. The prophecy mentioned child born at the end of the seventh month. I was born on July 31st. Neville on the 30th. Voldemort figured I was the one who was going to be the end of his reign of terror. It could have been either one of us, but Voldemort chose me. Once our parents heard about the prophecy, they took us and went into hiding. That did not work. Tony, Danny, and Hope all know that Halloween is a really bad day for us. It was on Halloween almost 16yrs ago that Voldemort and his followers killed our parents and tried to kill us. Neville was not with his parents. He was sent to live with our godfather, Sirius Black. I was with my parents. He killed my father in the kitchen of their home. He killed my mother right in front of me. I don't remember much of it, but I can still hear her scream."

The women in the room had begun to shed tears as Harry told his and Neville's tragic story. Hope wiped the tears away from Harry's cheeks.

"After he killed my mom, he attempted to kill me. He hit me with the killing curse. No one survives that curse. That is no one but me. We don't know how, but I survived. I got a really nasty scar from it, but I survived. Sirius heard about the attack and retrieved me before anyone found me. He took me and Neville and fled to New York."

"I think I will take over here," said Neville. "After we arrived in the states, Sirius did his best to raise two magical children. He was not prepared for us. From what Sirius has told us, both our fathers were talented in causing mischief. We took after them very well. We were always pranking him. He was amazed at how intelligent we both were. It was then he decided to hire a private tutor to teach us at our own pace. We started when we were three. By the time we were five, we were taking new classes every month. We retain information at incredible rates. It was also at this time that Sirius started up his new company with another genius. That is when we first met Tony Stark."

"You two were so cute back then. What the hell happened?"

"What other companies are you involved in," asked Cap.

"The company is not one anyone in here besides Harry and Neville would know about. I met Sirius at a charity event. He and I had a lot in common and began talking about business. He told me he had an idea for a company. I was hesitant at first, but then he said the magical words. First of its kind. And it was. Mage Tech is a company that provides electronic devices that are able to work in pure magical environments."

"They can't just get a regular Television," asked Beast.

"Nope," said Harry. "Magic and electronic currents do not react well together. Magic overloads any and all electronic devices, rendering them useless. Tony and Sirius found a way to power non-magical devices with magic. Even made them better than their standard counterparts."

"It really is amazing," said Tony. "I also helped the boys with any of their homework if they ever got stuck. That was not very often. At one point, they were calling me Uncle Tony."

"So when does Danny come in," asked Luke Cage, Danny Rand's best friend and partner.

"I think we were nine or ten," said Harry. "We were having some major anger issues. We were finding out more about what happened to our parents. We found out that the man who killed them still had not been found. We were not pleasant."

"Sirius was doing all he could, but we were really angry, and even at him for a while. He didn't deserve half of what we said to him. We were harsh. One day while he was out shopping with his wife Kristin, who at the time was just his girlfriend. She was always sweet to us. Anyways, the two of them saw a robbery happening. Sirius sent a couple of spells at the men, rendering them unconscious in the store. This was seen by Danny. He began following Sirius."

"I was intrigued at his methods. It was a nonviolent tactic that worked. I did not know that it was based in magic," said Iron Fist. "I approached him, asking him how he did what he did. He tried to act like I was delusional. I apparently was not the only person to see him do what he did. We were followed by some members of the robbers gang. Before Sirius could react, I took them out."

"Sirius thought he was a warrior wizard," said Harry smiling. "They are real, but few have ever actually seen them. Sirius made a deal that he would teach Danny what he knew if Danny would teach us to be like him."

"I felt duped at first when I found out that I could not learn the techniques used by him. I then met the boys and heard of their story. I agreed to work with them when I could, teaching them the art of Kung Fu and how to find peace in a non-peaceful world. They were difficult at first. They reminded me of myself when I was their age. Over time, I taught them how to harness their energy into their attacks. I use chi, they use their magic."

"And he also helped us learn to control our mutations," said Neville.

"That is something I don't understand," said Wolverine." I run a school for young mutants. I have people that scan for new mutants all the time. How did we not find you two?"

"Once again we return to magic," said Harry. "One thing that we learned very early in our magical education was the art of Legilemency. I take it you were looking for us with telepaths?"

"Some of the best and most powerful," said Wolverine.

"We were just a little better. We had been training for years to keep people out of our heads."

"So you two are the reason I had a migraine for three straight days," said the beautiful telepath Psylocke.

"Sorry, but yeah. It is one of the many ways we keep people from trying to get in our heads. We don't even think about it much anymore. It is like an involuntary action now."

"I gave up after the migraines."

"That was the point. You wouldn't have liked if you kept looking," said Neville.

"I saw what happened to the sisters," said Psylocke. "They all ran around talking about the demons that were trying to eat their faces."

Harry and Neville just laughed. They had forgotten about that incident. Wolverine just looked irritated.

"And what about you and Hope," asked Tony Stark. "How does that work with her living, or previously living on Utopia and you two supposedly living in New York? Is that because of magic too?"

"Nope. Mutation," smiled Neville. "Remember, I can travel through shadows. I can take people with me."

"We were in San Francisco one night when there was a robbery in progress. We jumped into action where we met Hope," said Harry. "From that night on, we spent a lot of time in California."

"For a island full of mutants, it is really easy to sneak out at night," said Hope with a grin. Anyone who knew Hope knew that her having a genuine smile on her face was very rare.

"At least you have someone that makes you happy," said Ms. Marvel.

"So now that we have that story out of the way, can someone fill us in. We have made it our job to stay out of politics and bickering between heroes," said Harry.

Everyone began letting the two teen mutants know exactly what had happened.

"So, five has gone down to two, and Hope is the eventual host of a cosmic entity that has corrupted just about everyone it has ever possessed. Did I miss anything?"

"Every time one of them falls in battle, the Phoenix leaves that person and goes to the remaining hosts. There are only two left. When one of them goes down, the last one will have the full power of the Phoenix. They will be almost unstoppable," said Charles Xavier walking into the room.

"Chuck," said Wolverine in shock. "I wasn't expecting you to come."

"I know things have gotten bad when Eric is asking me to stop Scott."

"Who's Eric," asked Neville.

"Magneto," said Xavier. "And apparently Scott has already targeted Emma. He has been fully corrupted. He has to be stopped, no matter what the cost."

"If he gets control of the entire Phoenix Force, we will need more than we already have," said Iron Man.

"Many of the X-Men that followed Scott have left Utopia. They are afraid of what he and Emma have become."

"We will offer amnesty to all who seek it. That does not apply to Namor, Colossus, Magik, nor Magneto. He may not have had the powers of the Phoenix, but he has supported Scott up until he was looked down on," said Wolverine.

Everyone began rambling on and on about what they needed to do to stop the end of the world. Harry, Neville, and Hope all went off to talk amongst themselves.

"How did the world become so fucked up," asked Harry. "Our lives have been screwed up since the day we were born."

"That phrase may be a metaphor for the two of you, but that is exactly what it has been like for me. I just wish we could go back and stop all this bad crap from happening," said Hope.

"For that to happen, we would need to go back to the exact events that caused everything to go down the toilet," said Neville. "And I don't even know where everything went wrong. I mean I know where things went wrong for us, but why were you hunted at the moment you were born."

"Because I was the first mutant born after M-Day."

"And what is that?"

"That is the day that Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, erased half the mutant population by saying no more mutants. Three words that changed the world forever. To stop that, you would have to go back and kill her. That is not even an option. I mean it is, but not one that anyone would take seriously. And this is all based on the idea that we could go back in time."

Harry and Neville looked at each other. Hope looked at them with confusion.

"To do that would take technology only one person I know of has, and he is dead."

"We have a way," said Neville.

"Great," said Hope. "Then let's stop this hell from happening!"

"There is one giant problem," said Harry somberly.

"What kind of problem," asked Hope.

"It is a one way trip. There is no way to return to this time. The next time we would be in 2012 is after 16 years have passed. We would have to relive those 16 years. We would have to take on new identities. We would be able to change the world. Stop major horrible events from happening. We could prevent M-Day from coming. We could stop this whole mess before it gets any worse, but we won't be here to see what it looks like until we catch up with time."

"Then we do that. I have nothing tying me to this time. Everyone I loved is dead. All I have is you," Hope said looking into Harry's eyes."

"You wouldn't survive the trip," said Neville. "Magic that powerful would kill anyone that is not a witch or wizard. You see the problem now."

Harry looked conflicted. He wanted to stay and be with Hope, but he wanted to fix all the horrible things that had happened in his lifetime.

"Then you need to go," said Hope, tears flowing from her eyes. "You need to do what you can to make things better for everyone."

"I don't want to leave you," said Harry, holding her closely.

"We can't be selfish. This is the cost of being a hero."

"If we are going to do this, we need to get accurate time lines of major events. Not just those that directly affect us. All major events from 1996 and on," said Neville.

"Right," said Harry, trying to keep his emotions in control. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible. The longer we stay, the greater the possibility of something going horribly wrong."

The three spent the next two hours gathering all information they could on major events that happened after September of 1996. The two gathered pulled out all the money they had and stored it in duffel bags.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," said Harry holding Hope in his arms, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I know. Just remember that I love you. And I will never forget about you."

The two kissed. They broke their kiss when they heard the voices of Wolverine and Iron Man walking towards them. Neville pulled out a time turner and began turning the dial. Hope watched as the two heroes vanished right before her eyes. It was also observed by Iron Man and Wolverine.

"What was that," asked Wolverine.

"They are going to fix the world," said Hope, holding back tears.

**October 28, 1996**

Lord Voldemort walked out of the house of his latest victim. The residents were not Lily and James Potter. He needed to find their secret keeper.

"Thomas Riddle, you have been found guilty of murder, past and in the future," said a voice from the shadows.

"Show yourself you coward," yelled Voldemort. He was startled when the man in question began to glow.

"You have brought misery to an entire nation. You cannot be allowed to continue to exist."

"I am the world's most powerful wizard. You cannot defeat me. Entire armies have tried and…"

The dark wizard was silenced with the quick slash of a blade. His head and body vanished.

"Is that how it is supposed to happen," asked Shadow, wiping the blade of his Katana clean.

"I don't know. I've never killed a wizard before. This should be the only one we kill. At least now we know our parents will live," said Crimson.

"Right. Time to go stop other horrible tragedies from happening."

**So this is going to be the most fun I have ever had writing a story. Please leave reviews. I would love to know what you all think.**


	3. Changes

Godric's Hollow, England

September 11, 2001

1:46 pm local time

Lily Potter watched her son Harry playing in the back yard. He looked so much like his father. She felt blessed. For a while, she was afraid that she would not have lived to see her son grow up. She now had two beautiful children. Harry was her oldest and Rose was her two year old daughter. She had the same red hair as her mother.

"Mommy, Harry fell down," said Rose from her highchair.

Lily had taken her eyes off of Harry for only a moment. When she looked back outside, he was lying on the ground shaking violently.

She dropped the pot she was washing and ran out to Harry. His fit had stopped, but he had started to glow a dark red color. He was not awake and was not responding to her voice. She whipped out her wand and summoned her Patronus. The doe shaped light carried the urgent message to her husband, James. She had tears flowing. She could not bear the idea of her son dying. She had no idea how to help him though. James appeared with a pop. Also with him was his best friend and Harry's godfather, Sirius Black.

"We need to get him to a hospital immediately," said James, scooping his son up in his arms. "Sirius, please take Lily and Rose in the car. We may need it."

With another pop, James and Harry were gone.

"This day is turning into more of a nightmare by the moment. Someone just ran a plane into a building in New York," said Sirius. He and Lily packed a bag, changed Rose, and left towards the hospital.

**Essex, England**

**2:03 pm**

Augusta Longbottom enjoyed watching her grandson Neville. He looked very much like his father and had his mother's spirit. For a while the family was worried he might have been a squib due to his failure to show any magical abilities early on. Most children show some sort of accidental magic no later than the age of two. Neville did not show any magical ability until almost four. Everyone was happy when he finally broke a vase across the room when throwing a tantrum.

She left him to check on the laundry. When she came back, she screamed in horror. She found him lying on the ground, surrounded by a dark shadowy aura. She did not hesitate. She picked him up and apparated to St. Mungo's.

**St. Mungo's**

James and Lily sat in the waiting room hoping to hear good news about Harry. Rose was being occupied by Sirius.

"The whole world has gone barking mad," said James. Another plane just crashed into the other World Trade Center building. Authorities are calling it terrorists."

Suddenly, Lily and James watched as their good friends Frank and Alice Longbottom came running into the hospital.

"Where is my son," cried Alice.

"The healers have him right now. His grandmother is in there with him," said the woman at the desk.

"Frank, Alice. What is going on," asked James rushing over to the couple.

"We don't know. Something happened to Neville. Why are you here," asked Frank.

"Same thing. Harry was fine one moment and the next he was having a fit and then was glowing."

"I don't know what happened to Neville. Mum just told us to get here."

Augusta came out to the waiting room, obviously against her wishes.

"He does not need to be alone right now," yelled Augusta.

"Mum, what is going on," asked James.

"They are running tests. They removed me from the room because they think I was getting in the way. At least the shadows disappeared."

"What shadows," asked Alice, fear showing on her face.

"I don't even know how to describe it. He was surrounded by what looked like shadows."

"Can I please go see my son," Alice asked the woman at the desk.

"After the tests are run, we will get you back there. The head healer is worried because he has never seen anything like what your sons are experiencing."

Augusta then noticed the Potter family.

"Harry too?"

James and Lily nodded. The two families sat together waiting to be able to go and see them.

It was almost two more hours until Healer Ravenwood came out.

"Potter's," called out Ravenwood.

James waved the healer over to where they were sitting.

"How's Harry," asked Lily.

"He is sleeping. We gave him a potion to calm him down after he woke up screaming about hope. The glowing has stopped. We are still trying to figure out what was causing that."

"What about Neville Longbottom. What about our son," asked Frank.

"Same situation. We had to give him a potion after he woke up carrying on about the future. We are looking into the shadow aura as well. This is something we have never seen before. I can't even begin to guess what is going on. The good news is that they are both alive, and are in great general health."

"Can we see them," asked Alice.

"Since the situation is very unknown, we would advise against visitation," explained Ravenwood. He noticed Augusta glaring at him after he started explaining everything. "But since they are only children, we will allow one parent in at a time. I know it is not the ideal situation, but we have to take precautions."

The two mothers rushed to the back to see their sons.

"Why would Harry be carrying on about hope," asked Sirius. "And why Neville about the future?"

"Haven't the foggiest," said James.

Shortly after Alice and Lily went in the back, Albus Dumbledore arrived.

"Albus, what are you doing here," asked Frank.

"I heard about Harry and Neville. Are they alright?"

"It looks that way, but they healers are still trying to figure out what happened this morning," said James.

Frank and James explained all of the symptoms that the two boys had. They also told Dumbledore about the outbursts the children had when they woke up. Dumbledore had a look of shock on his face.

"It can't be," muttered Dumbledore.

"What's that," asked Sirius.

"I have something I want to look into," said Albus in a rushed tone. "I'll be back soon."

Before anyone could ask questions, the old wizard was gone.

"Do you think he has an idea as to what is wrong with the boys," asked Sirius.

"I would assume so, but you would think if he had a clue, the healers would," replied Augusta.

After all the tests came back clear, friends and family were able to visit with the kids. James rushed into Harry's room. He found Harry sitting up in his bed reading a book about Medical Magic. He thought is must have had interesting pictures.

"What are you reading about Harry," asked his father.

"How to properly diagnose different skin irritations and what remedies are available in both the magical world and in muggle practices," replied the seven year old.

Lily and James looked at each other in wonderment. They knew Harry was smart, but this was way beyond anything he had ever been exposed to.

"Do you understand what they are talking about in that book," asked Lily.

"Most of it."

Lily and James stepped out of the room. They had Alice and Frank join them in the hallway.

"I think Harry is possessed," said Lily frantically. "He is reading a book that is something people read in their advanced educations. His vocabulary is more advanced than it was yesterday."

"There is something about how Neville talks as well. He is very calm and sure about what he says. He usually is timid. He also has stated that he needs to meditate. What is meditate," asked Alice.

"I think I may know of someone that could help," said Dumbledore appearing out of thin air.

"When can they get here," asked Frank.

"Actually, we will need to go meet them. It is not easy to explain this," said Dumbledore as he pulled out a letter and two wands. "This letter appeared to me this morning along with these two wands. I think it has something to do with Harry and Neville."

James took the letter and read it outloud.

"Professor Albus Dumbledore,

If you have received this letter, it means that our plans did not go as we expected. You do not know our names, but you know who we are. We have never personally met. That is truly a shame. We have heard many great things about you. We have watched events from a far and believe that you are the person that can bring the appropriate parties together to solve the problem you most likely face at this moment.

There may come a time when two children develop strange abilities. When that time comes, seek out Professor Charles Xavier in New York. He will be able to answer any questions you may have. We know that secrecy is important to the magical world. We are, or were, wizards. You have to trust Xavier. If you have this, we are dead. Upon our deaths, we enchanted out wands to accompany this letter. If they did not appear, then we did something wrong. We are not perfect and the spell was quite complex, even for two as powerful as ourselves. There is much more we wish we could say, but with what we have already done and said, anymore would be pushing the limit. The rest must be discovered naturally. Times will not be easy for the two young men in the future. Hopefully they will have as much support as we did as we learned what and who we were.

The Mages

Crimson and Shadow"

Everyone tried to understand what they had just heard.

"I have contacted this Xavier. He happens to be in England right now. He has agreed to meet with us. We would need to take the boys with us so he can meet them. He seemed to have an idea about what might have happened. He actually has met the two men who wrote this letter."

"I've heard of an Xavier from the states before," said Sirius. "He deals with very special individuals."

"And what kind of special people does he deal with," asked Lily.

"Mutants," said Dumbledore. "He is an expert on mutants."

"Let's meet him," said James. "If he can help, I will meet with him."

The four parents agreed. After a long argument with the staff, the two families left with their sons. Everyone travelled to a home that many had only heard about.

"Welcome to Braddock Manor," said Sirius as they pulled up the drive way.

Braddock Manor was home to Brian and Betsy Braddock. The brother and sister inherited the house after their parents had died. The two hosted many social events throughout the year. Sirius had attended a few. They were greeted by Brian Braddock.

"Welcome. Professor Xavier is waiting for you on the back patio. If you will follow me."

Everyone gawked at the beauty of the massive house. The three women took notes for decorating ideas for their own homes. They walked out to the patio where a woman, a man in a wheel chair, and a large creature sat waiting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my sister, Elizabeth Braddock, Professor Charles Xavier, and his associate, Dr. Hank McCoy."

"Thank you for meeting with us Professor," said James shaking the wheelchair bound Xavier's hand. "And thank you for allowing us to meet at your home Lady Braddock."

"When Charles explained the situation, I felt that this was the safest place. Especially with Hank looking as Hank does," said Betsy.

"People still cannot get used to a genius with blue fur," said Hank.

"So what do you think is wrong with our children," asked Frank directly.

"Please have a seat. This is not something that can be explained quickly," said Xavier. "To begin, I can confirm that your sons are indeed mutants. That is not a bad thing. I myself am a mutant. Hank too."

"As am I," said Betsy. "There are some cases where you would never know if a person was a mutant unless they told you."

"And then there are cases where you grow blue fur all over your body," said Hank.

"The curious situation is their ages. Most children do not have active mutations until they hit puberty. This is the earliest I have ever seen mutations manifest if they were not born with active mutations. What is also interesting is the situation surrounding when their abilities manifested and what they can do, or at least what they have displayed. I have seen those abilities before."

"These Crimson and Shadow guys," said James.

"Correct. Now I was told there was some more information that I needed to know about the boys."

"Just as yourselves, we all have special abilities, only ours do not differ from one person to the next," explained Dumbledore as he pulled out his wand.

"You are witches and wizards," said Xavier. "That is the connection with Crimson and Shadow."

"How did you know about that," asked Sirius in a very worried tone.

"I have had a few meetings with Crimson and Shadow over the years. I even tried to get them to join the staff at my school. They were young, but very intelligent and very talented. It was in one of those meetings that they explained their magical abilities. They explained wands and various other aspects of the wizarding culture."

"That is all great, but how does that help find out what happened to our sons," asked Alice.

"Right. I have a few theories on what might have happened. One is sticking in my head more than others," said Hank. "The more I hear, the more I know what happened. I just need to know if there are any other changes in the boys since this morning."

The parents explained the weird behavior and what the two were going on about when they woke up.

"This is amazing," said Hank. "Ok. This is not going to be easy to explain, but I will do my best. Do any of you have any working knowledge of time displacement and alternate universes?"

The witches and wizards just stared at him blankly.

"I take that as a no. Ok. Our time begins from the moment we are born," said Hank as he pulled out a piece of paper and pen. He drew a straight line across the paper. "This line represents our lives right now. This line was designed by our choices in life and by critical events that happen in our lifetime. Now imagine one major event going much differently. Take the tragedy that happened near our home in New York. Imagine if that had not happened."

"Things would definitely be different," said Lily.

"Exactly," said Hank. "Now what if someone found way to go back in time and prevent that event from happening or change the outcome of the event."

"Then an alternate version of our reality would have formed," said Harry.

Charles and Hank looked in amazement.

"Correct young man," said Xavier. Now we have two timelines running parallel to each other in time. Now imagine multiple changes in your life's events."

"I have an idea of where this is going," said Dumbelore.

"Will someone just tell us what is going on," said Augusta raising her voice.

"I believe that Crimson and Shadow were in fact Harry and Neville from another time. My guess would be that they came from a future that was less than desirable. That alone would not cause them to take on mutations and all this knowledge at such a young age."

"When did they begin showing symptoms," asked Betsy.

"Early afternoon. Around the same time as…" began Lily.

"I believe that Crimson and Shadow died trying to prevent today's events," said Hank.

"And if they died in a time line where their younger counterparts are still alive," said Sirius.

"Correct," said Xavier. "Their consciousness may very well have transferred to them."

"I am still confused," said Frank. "I can grasp the concept of many universes. I understand how time travel and changing events can be catastrophic. I do not understand how that makes our kids become what they are."

"This is the first I have ever heard of it happening. I have theorized many situations before, but never did I think one would happen in my lifetime," said Hank.

"So what does this mean," asked Alice.

"The boys now have mutations that are very well developed. They need to learn how to control these abilities," said Xavier. "This my just take them using their abilities for the memories from their future selves to allow them full control. It may also unlock other knowledge."

"Like their advanced intelligence," said Dumbledore.

"Absolutely. They may very well be the smartest children in the world because of their unique situation. It may also trigger their magical knowledge as well."

"If that is the case, we need to start educating them on that as well," said Sirius.

"That would be wise," said Xavier. "Now comes the hard part. Where do we teach them?"

"Can't we just teach them at home," asked Alice.

"I guess you could teach the magic there, but their mutations, that would be dangerous," said Betsy. "Charles runs a school that specializes in teaching young mutants how to use their powers safely."

"So you think we should just send our kids off to the states," said Frank, obviously against the idea.

"Only for a short time," said Xavier. If what we believe is correct, then they will access their futures selves memories and have control in a few months. Since this is a very unique case, we would be happy to make accommodations for you to stay on the campus with your children."

"We have jobs," said Frank. "We can't just drop everything and move, even for a short time."

"Could they have time to work on their magical skills while there," asked Lily.

"Absolutely. They will need to learn what Shadow and Crimson had done. They had learned to use their mutations and magical abilities in harmony. They were truly powerful."

"I want to take Harry," said Lily. "If it will help him, then I want to do it."

"Me too," said Alice.

"If we do this, we will be let go from our positions," said Frank.

"Then you stay behind. This is what Neville needs. This man can help."

"We could always just move permanently," said Sirius. "Take similar positions overseas. We know we can all afford to move and live without working for a while."

"Like leave England forever," asked Alice.

"Maybe not forever, but maybe until the boys are old enough to go to Hogwarts," said James. "If we like it over there, then we can stay."

"And you can retain dual citizenship," said Betsy.

It took some convincing Frank, but all family, and Sirius, agreed to move to New York for the benefit of their sons.

**I know that 9/11 is a very sensitive subject. It was an event that I knew I was not going to alter and gave great explanation as to what happens to the older Neville and Harry. I know some things were not fully explained. They will be in later chapters(Including the next chapter). Have faith. **


End file.
